On Friday, prosecutors in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir filed charges against Mayor Reccep Tayip Erdogan of Istanbul, in connection with a speech he made in the nearby town of Siirt last year. In that speech, Erdogan, who is a leader of the Islamic-oriented Welfare Party, said,

"The mosques are our barracks, the domes are our helmets, the minarets are our swords, and the faithful are our army."

The indictment charged that by making that statement, Erdogan was calling his supporters to form "an army of jihad," or holy war. It also charged him with "using democracy to establish an evil order." If convicted, he could face up to three years in prison.

Erdogan was sentenced to 10 months in jail -- but was freed after four months. Though his criminal record that should have prevented him from holding political office, the Parliament amended the constitution in 2003 and Erdogan was allowed to stand for a parliamentary seat. The rest is history.

About Me

When I am not blogging at Daled Amos, I am sharing articles and the great posts of others on my account on Google Plus.

I write about the Middle East in general and about Israel in particular -- especially about issues affecting Israel in the Middle East and how Israel is impacted by policy in the current Obama administration.